In his address, Professor Frans Stokman, from the University of Groningen, insisted on the necessity of approaching sustainability as a multidimensional and multilevel concept. He complimented the authors for having been able to offer a clear framework to their readers. In his own words: “The Three Levels of Sustainability figure is the best summary I have ever seen in the contents of a book.” He then insisted on the need to convert people from consumers to co-producers of, for example, sustainable energy. Professor Stokman has recently co-founded a co-operative for the production of solar energy, Grunneger Power. The co-operative, launched in 2011, now has more than 1,000 members and will start selling their greener energy from April 2012! When concluding his address, Professor Stokman said: “We do not just need to make the transition towards a more sustainable world. We want to make it, as it gives us a better world, better organisations and a better life. The Three Levels of Sustainability shows us where to go and how.”

George Curiel presents Mr Osepa with a copy of the book

The second speaker, Mr Sheldry Osepa (Minister Plenipotentiary of Curaçao in The Netherlands), underlined the necessity for policy makers to be forward-thinking. Mr Osepa referred to the efforts made in Curaçao to develop sustainable energy projects and complimented Stenden for supporting students, our future leaders, in their thinking and acting in relation to sustainability.

Klaas Wybo van der Hoek

Dr Klaas Wybo van der Hoek (vice-president of Stenden) referred to the university’s long-term commitment to support the development of leaders who can act in an international context and, as Stenden’s vision tells us, “serve to make it a better world.” He is convinced that the book by Cavagnaro and Curiel will strongly enhance Stenden’s efforts to integrate sustainability into its school’s curriculum.

Elena Cavagnaro presents Craig Thompson with a copy of Three Levels

Finally, Dr Craig Thompson (Academic Dean at Stenden’s School of Hospitality Management) referred back to his experience as a lecturer in sustainable tourism and concluded that he wished he could have had The Three Levels of Sustainability at his disposal then. Its completeness and clarity, he said, would have been crucial to both himself and his students and is in complete support of the book’s use at Stenden.

The authors thoroughly enjoyed the day and appreciated all the positive comments towards their work. As has already been shown, the book was found to be inspiring and all present on the day received a a copy of The Three Levels.

Elena Cavagnaro presents the book to Alec and Collin, grandchildren of George Curiel, representatives of future generations

The audience

A review of the launch by Elena Cavagnaro.

Elena Cavagnaro is professor of Service Studies at Stenden University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands, where her reserch focuses on issues where the organisational level meets the society level or the individual the organisational. George Curiel is a freelance advisor and continues to consult with governments and organisations in search of new horizons and strategies for a more sustainable development path.